Celtics looking to benefit from Lakers' struggles

The team with a 33-10 record will next season be adding Gordon Hayward plus a possible top five pick from the Los Angeles Lakers, who are currently tied for the third-worst record in the NBA.

Jim Fenton The Enterprise @JFenton_ent

There are still 39 regular-season games to go followed by what promises to be an intriguing postseason in the spring.

After putting together a sensational 33-10 start to rank second in the NBA, the Celtics have plenty left to do in the 2017-18 season.

They managed to maneuver through a first half that had plenty of adversity, like the gruesome opening-night injury suffered by Gordon Hayward plus a hectic schedule that left little time for rest or practice.

The Celtics are sitting behind only the champion Golden State Warriors in the overall standings as they prepare to play the Philadelphia 76ers in London Thursday.

And it will be interesting to see where this all leads in the next four – or perhaps five – months.

But no matter how it plays out this year, it could be just a warm-up act for the 2018-19 season, which is looking more promising.

When training camp starts in late September, it is expected that Hayward will be ready to resume his career.

Some are holding out hope that he will be able to play in the spring, but that seems to be a long shot after the severity of his injury.

Getting a healthy Hayward back next season is going to make one of the best teams in the NBA even stronger.

Then there is the fate of the Los Angeles Lakers, who are doing their part of help the rival Celtics.

Thanks to the trade president of basketball operations Danny Ainge made prior to the draft, the Celtics will wind up with the Lakers’ pick in June if it falls between Nos. 2 and 5.

The Lakers are going to miss the playoffs for a fifth straight season and have been reeling lately.

At 12-27 entering Tuesday night’s game with the Sacramento Kings, they were tied with the Memphis Grizzlies for the third-worst record in the NBA behind the Atlanta Hawks (10-30) and the Orlando Magic (12-28).

The Lakers just broke a nine-game losing streak with a rout of the Hawks Sunday night, but all is not well in LA-LA land.

It’s a side show Magic Johnson and Co. don’t need as they try to get the Lakers out of their losing ways, but just as a lot of people feared, LaVar is interfering with his son’s best interests.

What all this means for the Celtics is that another prime lottery pick could fall in their laps for the third year in a row.

After getting Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum via the Brooklyn Nets the past two Junes, another talented youngster just might be added to the ’18-19 roster.

The top prospects include DeAndre Ayton of Arizona, Trae Young of Oklahoma, Marvin Bagley of Duke, Michael Porter of Missouri, Mohamed Bamba of Texas, Jaren Jackson of Michigan State and Luka Doncic of Europe.

One of them might be the prize the Celtics receive for letting the 76ers take the No. 1 pick last June in order to pick guard Markelle Fultz, who played four games in October but has been out with a shoulder injury.

The Celtics received the No. 3 choice and picked Tatum, one of the most poised 19-year-old players you’ll find. They also got their hands on the Lakers’ pick that the Sixers owned.

Entering Tuesday night there were 10 teams with winning percentages below .400, so the Lakers could fall anywhere in that range when all is said and done.

But their recent long losing streak suggests the Lakers are not in a position to have a quick fix.

If the Lakers’ pick falls outside of the Nos. 2-5 range, then the Celtics will have to wait until 2019 when they would receive the better of the Sacramento Kings or Sixers’ picks, provided they’re not No. 1.

So while there is plenty remaining to do this season, the thought of adding a healthy Hayward and a top-five selection will make the Celtics even stronger.

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